


CSI and the Rats

by storyhaus



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:20:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storyhaus/pseuds/storyhaus
Summary: When the lab is under siege it's up to Nick and the lab rats to save it.





	CSI and the Rats

CSI and the Rats

Hodges was working on his board game when he heard a commotion in the hall.  
Curiosity won out and he left his lab...then wished he hadn't.  
"MOVE!" A masked man ordered and shoved him down the hall all the while pointing a gun at him.  
Moments later he found himself outside the toxicology lab with Henry, Mandy and Archie.  
"This section is secure." A second masked man reported.  
Hodges momentarily thought about taking them on but he wasn't really the hero type.  
"Now, who's in charge here?" The man who'd found Hodges asked.  
Hodges looked at the others who stared right back at him.  
"Um...our boss..." He started.  
"I'm the senior officer on premises."  
The lab rats looked relieved to see Nick, though he was pushed toward them by two other masked men.  
"Search him?" The head gunman asked.  
"Just the phone." One of the two men behind Nick tossed it to him.  
Hodges just noticed Nick had a tie on and wondered why.  
"What's your bosses name?" The head gunman asked.  
Nick was silent until a gun was shoved into his back.  
"Russell." He answered glaring at the man who held his phone.  
They watched as the man scrolled through Nick's contact list then pressed the number for Russell.  
' Nick, how's court?'  
"Please listen Mister Russell, we have taken over your lab. You have three hours to bring us Thomas Kelly, Michael Alvarez, Ewan McShane and Bruce Laughlin. I'll even make it easy for you, they're all in the state pen. If you fail to deliver them in the alloted time, your people will die.  
To show you I'm a man of my word..." He cocked his gun and pointed it at the lab techs who stepped back afraid.  
The man swung the gun around and fired.  
"NICK!" Mandy cried out as Nick was thrown to the floor.  
" 'Nick' will be the first to die if you fail."  
' If he dies and anyone else gets hurt I will personally hunt you down.' Russell replied tersely.  
"As long as you do as ordered your people will make it out alive. The clock is ticking." The head gunman answered and hung up. "Put them in there." He motioned to the toxicology lab.  
Nick was hauled to his feet and shoved in after the others and ordered to sit against the far set of cabinets.  
"Are you okay?" Hodges whispered to Nick.  
"He was shot! Do you think he's okay?" Mandy hissed from the other side of Nick.  
"Excuse me. I don't know how bad it is." Hodges huffed.  
"Take a good look at him!" Mandy retorted.  
"Would you both shut up!" Nick gritted as he held his arm close to his body.  
"Shouldn't we do something?" Henry spoke up.  
"Oh yes, let's just commit suicide by attacking the guys with guns." Hodges retorted.  
"I meant about Nick." Henry replied giving Hodges a look.  
"We need to stop the bleeding." Archie added.  
"With what, your shirt?" Hodges snorted.  
"Your lab coat genius." Mandy replied.  
"Oh...right..." Hodges nodded and removed the blue coat, he was the only one wearing one at the moment.  
"Archie try to tear strips off while I check the wound." Mandy said and undid Nick's tie apologizing when he groaned in pain. "I finally get to see you with your shirt off." She teased undoing the buttons.  
"Harrassment." He joked back as she slid his blood soaked shirt off his wounded shoulder.  
Nick pressed his lips together to keep from crying out at the pain.  
"It went all the way through." She swallowed.  
"Here." Archie handed her the torn material.  
"Sorry." She apologized pressed the folded clothes against the entrance and exit wounds on his left shoulder.  
Nick reared up as the pain became tenfold and hit his right thigh with his fist to take his mind off the pain.  
"Archie, give me a long strip so I can secure the bandages." Mandy requested.  
Archie handed her one a moment later and she finished treating Nick's wounds.  
"You were a Girl Scout weren't you?" Nick panted through the pain.  
"How'd you know?" Mandy nodded tying the material off.  
"Couldn't outrun my sisters when they were practicing." He answered and closed his eyes leaning his head back.  
"Shouldn't he have a sling too?" Henry asked recalling the last time Nick was shot he wore a sling.  
"My tie." Nick sighed opening his eyes.  
Mandy used it but shook her head.  
"It's not long enough to tie it around your neck without hurting you worse." She frowned then snapped her fingers and removed her hoop earrings and used them to hold the tie ends together around Nick's neck.  
"Mother of invention." Nick nodded and closed his eyes again missing the worried looks of the lab techs.

"Wasn't Nick supposed to be in court?" Greg asked.  
"Yeah." Russell nodded.  
"Did they really shoot him?" Morgan asked.  
Russell nodded silently.  
"Do we have a plan?" Greg asked worried about his friends.  
"The four men are being processed out. It's a two hour drive, SWAT is standing by at the lab they say front doors are locked, they breached the roof but the elevators aren't responding, probably keeping the doors open somehow. Stairwell door is jammed from the lab side and the cameras are covered. These clowns thought of everything." Brass informed them.  
"Let's head over there." Russell said .  
He wanted to be near his people even if he couldn't help them at the moment and he hated feeling helpless especially when one of his guys was injured.

"I wonder where the others went." Archie whispered.  
"At least there's only one." Henry replied eying the gunman warily.  
"Can't SWAT break in and rescue us?" Mandy asked.  
They pondered that question until a soft accented voice startled them.  
"Need a plan."  
"Nick?" Hodges asked surprised.  
He thought Nick had passed out.  
"Henry, you got anything to knock this guy out?" Nick whispered, eyes closed.  
"Um...yes, but it's five feet away." Henry nodded nervously.  
"Diversion...draw his attention away." Nick murmured.  
The lab techs looked at each other.  
"Rock, paper, scissors?" Hodges suggested.  
"For Godsakes!" Nick muttered and started to push himself up with a painfilled groan.  
"I'll do it." Mandy whispered gripping his arm.  
Nick dropped back to the floor with an audible sigh.  
Mandy took a deep breath then rose nervously.  
With one look back she walked over to the man guarding the door.  
"Excuse me..."  
"Sit down!" The man spat.  
"I need to use the bathroom."   
"Tough." The man retorted.  
"Tough?" Mandy's eyes narrowed.  
"Yeah." The man smirked.  
"Listen buster! I'm PMSing! Do not tell me tough!"  
Nick smiled hearing her lay into the man, he had five sisters and made himself scarce that time of the month growing up.  
"Tag team him." Nick elbowed Hodges.  
"What?" Hodges blinked.  
"Make sure his attention is off Henry." Nick clarified.  
Hodges hesitated a moment then headed over to the commotion at the door.  
"You really should let her go the the ladies room. PMS man! Don't mess with her!"  
"Henry, go." Nick whispered keeping an eye on them.  
The nervous lab tech slid over to where the chemicals were stored, he quietly unlocked the cabinet and opened the door just far enough to remove the bottles he needed then closed it and relocked it.  
He started to slide back to Nick with them when he heard a yell.  
"Hey!"  
Henry froze and looked up fearing he'd been caught.  
"Take her to the bathroom." Another gunman shouted at them.  
Henry let out a sigh of relief realizing their ruse had worked.  
He moved back to the others and Archie hid the bottles behind himself.  
Nick gave him a thumbs up relieved as well.  
"You, go sit down." Their guard ordered Hodges as he led Mandy down the hall to the ladies room that was around the corner, the man who ordered her to be taken there took up the post guarding them.  
Nick hoped Mandy would be okay on her own.  
"When do we strike?" Hodges asked, adrenaline pumping as he rejoined them.  
"Before Mandy gets back, one of you will have to take out the other guy too." Nick whispered.  
"We need to change his bandages." Archie said aloud and began ripping more strips off Hodges lab coat.  
He passed the clothes to Henry who soaked them with a good mixture of the chemicals.  
"This isn't working!" Hodges griped and went over to the guard to draw his attention away from the room.  
"We need a first-aid kit with real bandages!" He snapped at the gunman.  
"Sit down!" The gunman ordered.  
"You want him to bleed out?" Hodges asked stepping into the hall so the man's back was to the others.  
Archie grabbed the cloth and ran over pressing it to the man's mouth and nose.  
Hodges grabbed the arm holding the gun so the guard couldn't shoot it.  
Henry rushed over and helped him.  
Finally Nick clamped his good hand over Archie's forcing their guard to breath in the chemicals.  
At last the man succumbed to the mixture and lost consciousness.  
"Get him across the hall." Nick ordered leaning against the doorframe spent from the exertion.  
"Henry, get another dose ready for the other guard." He added as Hodges and Archie drug the unconscious man to the DNA lab, " You and Hodges take him there too when he's down."  
Henry grabbed the bottles and ran across the hall laying in wait with Hodges for Mandy and her guard to return.  
Archie helped Nick to sit again and they waited.  
"Easy on the arm!" They heard Mandy snap, soon she and the guard were in sight.  
"Hey! Where'd he go?" The guard asked not seeing the other man watching the prisoners.  
"They went to find a first-aid kit." Archie answered.  
Before the guard could reply Hodges and Henry were on him.  
He fought them until Mandy kneed him between the legs causing him to inhale a good dose of the improvised ether.  
"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Nick teased as Archie helped him over to them.  
"You never could, unlike some people." Mandy glanced at Hodges who huffed.  
Nick took the gun Hodges held and placed it into his waistband.  
"Give me the other one too." Nick held out his hand.  
Hodges reluctantly handed it over too.  
"We should get out of here." Henry said nervously.  
"We need to get this one out of sight and go to the locker room." Nick nodded thoughtfully.  
"Do we really need more guns?" Hodges rolled his eyes.  
"My kit is there."  
"I think printing these guys can wait." Hodges retorted.  
"Goose." Nick looked at him.  
"I'll go." Archie said and hurried off.  
They hid in the DNA lab and waited for him to return.

"The prisoners are on their way. We checked their backgrounds, they all have one thing in common, they were all in juvie hall ten years ago." Brass told them.  
"I'd lay odds our gunmen were with them." Russell replied.  
"We're digging deeper." Brass nodded not taking his eyes off the lab doors.  
"How long until they get here?" Morgan asked.  
"A little over an hour." Brass answered as Russell's cell phone rang.  
"Hello? Hey Sara. No, not a peep yet. No. You and Finn stay there, finish the case, I'll call when we hear something. I promise." Russell replied and ended the call.  
"I really wish we could see in there." Greg uttered.

"Here he comes." Mandy whispered.  
Archie ducked inside breathlessly and placed Nick's field kit on the floor.  
Nick opened it and tossed the roll of duct tape to Hodges.  
"Wrap their feet and cover their mouths." He ordered.  
Next he pulled out the set of flex cuffs and handed them to Mandy who removed two of them from their bindings, she helped Nick cuff the men then Hodges, Henry and Archie man- handled them into the storage closet.  
As they were doing that Mandy properly bandaged Nick's wound.  
"Try the phone." Nick motioned tiredly, adrenaline wearing off.  
"Nothing." Henry shook his head and placed the receiver back down.  
"Cell phones?" Nick asked.  
"In my lab." Archie motioned to the hall.  
"Purse. Lab." Mandy nodded.  
"Lab." Hodges shrugged.  
"Mine's dead." Henry held it up apologizing.  
"Archie, is there a way to give Russell video access without tipping these guys off by removing the covers over the cameras out there?" Nick sighed.  
"Well, if I can get to my lab I can link all the web cams together and send them to Greg's phone." Archie nodded thoughtfully.  
"Greg's?" Nick asked.  
"It's more capable." Archie nodded.  
"Alright, let's do this." Nick answered, "You three find a place to hole up." He added to the others and readied one of the confiscated weapons.  
Nick lead Archie to the A/V lab and the tech set to work.

The rest of the team was outside waiting for the arrival of the prisoners when Greg's phone sounded.  
"Video link?" He murmured and tapped the icon. "Uh...Russell, Brass..."  
"What is it Greg?" Russell asked.  
"I have camera's in the lab." Greg held out his phone.  
"Let me see that." The SWAT leader demanded and took the phone from him. "What am I looking at?"  
"It's the Audio-Visual lab." Russell answered seeing it too.  
"We have security feed?" The SWAT commander asked.  
"No," Greg shook his head, "That's gotta be a web camera and if I know Archie..." Greg touched another app on his phone, "He's got us hooked up to all the web cams in the lab." Greg smiled showing them.  
"DNA, Trace, Tox...Your office too Russell." Morgan nodded.  
"Let's find our people and the bad guys." Russell ordered.  
Greg went through each web cam until he found Mandy and Henry by their feet under a lab table.  
"That leaves Nick, Archie and Hodges." Brass replied as Greg pulled up another camera.  
"Well Archie linked us, probably from the A/V lab. Nick might be going for a gun from ballistics..." Morgan suggested.  
She had no idea where David could be though.  
"Whoa!" Greg uttered, "There's two of our bad guys."   
They watched the pair walk past the DNA lab.  
All their heads went up hearing gun fire.  
"SWAT MOVE IN! MOVE IN!" The Commander ordered.

Nick and Archie peered around the corner, finding the coast clear Nick started across the hall.  
"Hey!" One of the gunmen shouted and started firing at Nick who dove behind the wall and fired back. "Get out of here Archie!"  
The A/V tech bolted back the way he came.  
Nick fired off a few shots and hit one of the gunmen.  
The second one took off and Nick went after him.

"Nick!" Greg pointed see him run past.  
"Hey! Tell your guys there's a CSI inside who's armed! Don't shoot him!" Brass grabbed the SWAT commander's arm.  
The head of the SWAT team relayed the information to his men.

Nick was on his knees sliding along the floor next to the clear lab wall making himself the smallest target possible.  
He leaned forward to peer around the corner when he heard the hammer of a gun behind him.  
"Turn around." The gunman ordered.  
Nick did so figuring he had a few more seconds to live.  
To his surprise the gunman grunted then fell to the floor beside him unconscious.  
Nick looked up to see a smug Hodges holding a piece of lab equipment.  
"Get down!" Nick hissed.  
"Thank you for saving my life Hodges." Hodges snarked.  
"There's still one more!" Nick reminded him.  
Hodges blinked and dropped to the floor just as a bullet whizzed by him.  
Nick fired off his own shots and saw the head man, the one who'd shot him, duck into Russell's office.  
"He's trapped." Hodges said.  
"You have no where to go! Throw your weapon into the hall and come out with your hands on your head!" Nick called out.  
The man shot at them blowing the windows out of Russell's office.  
Nick peered around the corner and fired back several bullets.  
Hodges looked at Nick when there was no return fire from the office.  
He didn't like how pale Nick looked, he leaned over and saw Nick was bleeding again, it was dripping down Nick's arm.  
"Stay behind me." Nick ordered and struggled to his feet.  
Hodges rose and stepped over sliding Nick's good arm over his shoulder and gripping his gun hand steady.  
"I'll point, you shoot." Hodges gave him a small smile.  
Nick shook his head but acquiesced.  
They cautiously made their way to the office where they found the head gunman laying prone on the floor.  
"Good shooting." Hodges commented.  
Nick kicked the gunman's weapon away just in case.  
"Help me to the floor Goose."   
Hodges did so and watched Nick keep his weapon trained on the dead man.  
"Get the cuffs from my pocket and use them on the man you brained out there then go and let the police in."   
Hodges got the cuffs and followed his orders then headed to the front doors.  
"Freeze!"   
Hodges stared at all the men with guns pointed at him.  
"Little late. We have all the bad guys down for the count." He snarked at them then turned on his heel and headed back the way he came.  
The SWAT team looked at each other puzzled.  
"Do you want to see where they are or not?" Hodges called back, "We need a medic too for Nick, he was shot in the shoulder and it's bleeding again."  
"Let's go." The SWAT leader motioned .  
Hodges pointed out the two in the lab closets.  
They saw the one Nick shot and several steps later they reached the one Hodges himself brained before reaching Russell's office.  
"Are these all of them?' The SWAT leader asked Nick.  
Hodges looked at Nick who was staring at the head gunman.  
"Sir?" The SWAT leader called.  
"Nick?" Hodges knelt down and touched his shoulder.  
Nick blinked.  
"SWAT's here." Hodges pointed.  
"Oh. Okay." Nick nodded looking at the police.  
"Is this all of them?" The SWAT leader asked.  
"Yeah." Nick nodded and lowered his gun with a groan.  
"Clear. Let the EMT's in here." The SWAT leader radioed.  
"Help me up Goose."   
Hodges sighed but did so.  
Nick placed the gun on the desk and started for the door unsteadily.  
"Where are you going?" The SWAT leader asked frowning.  
"Hospital man, in case you hadn't noticed I've been shot." Nick replied and stepped into the hall.  
Hodges followed him wondering how much longer he'd remain on his feet.  
They made in twenty feet when the EMT's appeared with a gurney.  
"Hope that's for me." Nick said.  
"Let us take a look at you sir." One said and removed the gear box from the gurney.  
Nick laid down and closed his eyes as they examined his wound and rebandaged it and started an IV.  
"Nick."  
"Hey Russ, sorry about your office." Nick replied without opening his eyes.  
"My office?" Russell frowned.  
"Ask Hodges."  
"I will." Russell looked at the lab tech.  
"Might want to holler for Mandy, Archie and Henry too." Nick added, they could all tell his energy was fading fast.  
"We need to get him to the hospital." The second EMT said as he strapped Nick down.  
"Morgan go with him, we'll be there as soon as we can. Call Sara and Finn too." Russell ordered.  
Morgan nodded and followed the EMT's and Nick.  
"Greg, round up our missing people, Hodges fill me in." He added once they'd gone.  
"Let me begin...at the beginning." Hodges smirked.  
Brass rolled his eyes but straightened when Hodges filled them in on what had transpired over the last hours.  
The other lab techs relayed their roles in it all and statements were taken from everyone.  
Three of the gunmen were taken to the hospital in handcuffs the other two were taken to the morgue.  
Russell sighed seeing the glass all over the hall, making a call to their janitorial service to clean it up he then gathered the team, lab techs included and headed to the hospital.

"Morgan?"   
"They sowed him up. Heavy duty antibiotics and painkillers. They gave him a liter of blood too. He's in there." She pointed to the nearby room.  
"Asleep?" Russell asked.  
"He was out before we reached the ER." She smiled with a nod,"Sara and Finn will be back in the morning they solved their case."  
"Good." Russell nodded.  
He knew Sara and Greg were close to Nick and would be here a lot, not to mention Brass, Doc Robbins and David.  
"Let's let him rest." Russell said and started away.  
"If it's okay with you I'd like to stay." Hodges said.  
"Us too. We went through it with him you know?" Mandy motioned to the others.  
"Call if you or he need anything." Russell instructed.  
"We will." Henry nodded.  
Greg smiled at them as he left with the others.

Nick sighed and opened his eyes...to find four sets of others peering at him.  
"Was I drooling?"  
"No." Mandy quickly said.  
"Huh-uh." Archie added embarrassed.  
"We were just...you know..." Henry answered looking away.  
"You've been asleep all night." Hodges said checking his watch.  
"Sorry. Little tired...and shot. Did I mention shot?" Nick looked at him.  
"Okay." Hodges huffed.  
"What time is it?" Nick yawned.  
"Almost nine...a.m. that is." Mandy answered.  
"I bet I missed breakfast." Nick sighed.  
"We could get you something." Archie offered.  
"Breakfast burritos." Nick nodded as he started to go, "Hey, see if I can get out of here."  
"I'll go with him." Henry said and followed Archie.  
"I'll get your doctor." Mandy smiled and left too.  
"So..." Hodges said looking around after a few moments of silence.  
"Thanks." Nick said.  
"For what?" Hodges frowned.  
"You saved my life man."   
"I did, didn't I?" Hodges nodded smugly.  
"And I saved yours." Nick deflated him.  
"Yes, you did." Hodges sighed.  
"Call it a draw dawg." Nick held his fist out.  
Hodges looked back confused.  
"Fist bump man." Nick rolled his eyes.  
"Oh. Right." Hodges did the move.  
"I'm gonna tell Russell you guys did good." Nick said seriously.  
"We did, didn't we? But you were a good leader. You were a good co-leader when Grissom left."  
"Thanks." Nick smiled appreciatively.  
"I've been thinking...maybe I should carry a gun."   
"Not in this lifetime Goose." Nick smirked.  
Hodges shook his head and settled back into the chair to await his lab mates return.  
Nick laid back and observed him out the corner of his eye.  
For being a brown-noser you're not so bad David Hodges,he mused and enjoyed the silence.

The End 2014


End file.
